Vice President addresses Global Summit of Women 2023

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Dubai (VNA) – Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attended and addressed the opening of the Global Summit of Women 2023 themed “Women: Leading a New Climate of Change” in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 4.

In her speech, Xuan lauded the theme of this year's event, saying it contributes to encouraging women around the world to unleash their potential, grasp trends, proactively learn to succeed, and contribute to the society in the context of major changes in the world due to global challenges intertwined with strong changes towards sustainable development, green and inclusive growth, and digital transformation.

She suggested focusing efforts on and creating favourable conditions for women to bring into play their potential and contribute to the society, particularly emphasising the need to ensure a global environment of peace, stability, and cooperation for development, enhancing multi-level cooperation among countries, organisations, and businesses in empowering women economically.

The Vietnamese leader also highlighted the development of education and training in science-technology, engineering, and maths as a fundamental factor to promote women's participation and readiness in the era of digital transformation and knowledge-based economy. At the same time, it is necessary to integrate gender issues and empower women in building and implementing socio-economic development policies, she stressed.

Sharing Vietnam’s important achievements in gender equality and women empowerment, Xuan said the proportion of female deputies in the National Assembly is 30.3% while the rate of women-owned businesses reaches 29.8%, ranking sixth among countries with the highest proportion of female entrepreneurs. Vietnamese women are also contributing to addressing global challenges, with female officers and soldiers participating in the UN peacekeeping missions, she said.

Vietnam's policies have been creating favourable conditions for women to do business, encouraging them to join in fields such as science, technology, engineering to unleash their strengths and entrepreneurial spirit, the Vice President said.

During the summit from May 4-6, the Vietnamese delegation will actively join in plenary and thematic sessions covering various practical topics, including assessing new challenges and trends in different regions and the world, gender equality in the workplace, the role of women in addressing climate change, digital transformation, and ensuring gender equality metrics.

Established in 1990, the Global Summit of Women has become a major annual international forum on gender equality. It brings together politicians and business leaders from all over the world to share ideas and promote initiatives aimed at encouraging women's contributions and enhancing their roles in all aspects of social life, particularly in economy./.